Apparatus for mining coal



.Euy 24 E951 W. VQGEL APPARATUS FOR MINING CUAL Film Dec. 23, 194s 2 Sheets-Sheet l *Qld ttomey W @n @mum W. VOGEL APPARATUS FOR MINING COAL July V24, V1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deo. 23, 1948.

Inventor WALTEE Vessel atented July 274, 1951l 2,561,642. APPARATUS Fol-t MINING ooAL` walter vogel, santiago de chile, chile, assignor to Mavor Scotland & Coulson, Limited,v GiasgowS. Ea e t Application December 23, 1948, Serial No. 66,877

In Great Britain July 7, 1947 This `invention relates to a method of mining coal and other `minerals and to a mining machine of a previously proposed type in use of which cutting of the coal or other mineral is eifected by a direct shearing or chisel-like action applied by a wedge-like cutter in a horizontal direction and in a plane behind and parallel to the face of the seam so as to wedge the mineral away in blocks from the seam.

More particularly,` the invention relates to a method of miningucoal or other mineral which consists in wedging out from a seam the mineral located between one of the limits (namely the roof and the floor) of the seam and an intermediate level, and thereafter wedging 01T the mineral left outsanding between said level and the other limit of the seam. I

The `mineral betweenthe roof and an intermediate level may be wedged out rst.

rIhe intermediate level may be about midway between the roof and the floor. I

The present invention comprises a mining machine of the type stated having alternately movable wedge-like cutters one of which is adapted to be driven astroke forward so as to wedge out aA section of the face of a mineral seam between one limit thereof and an intermediate level while the other cutter is anchored, and the other cutter is adapted` to be driven a stroke forward so as to wedge off the mineral left outstanding on the face between said level and the other limit of the face.

lPreferably, it is the upper wedge-like cutter that comes into action iirst so as to wedge out the mineral between the roof and an intermediate level. i l i A machine according to the invention is `shown as an example in theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of the machinethe hydraulic piping being omitted for clearness.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine as seen in the direction of the `arrow 2^`in` Fig. 1, Fig. 2 showing` parts differently positioned.

,y Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine, the view being partly a section approximately on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic elevation illustrating the hydraulic apparatus with which the machine is equipped.

In the example shown, the invention is applied to a double-ended coal-mining machine; that is, a machine adapted to cut in either of its two directions of travel along vthe face of a coal seam. The machine is in the nature of a vehicle which is movable forward stroke-after-stroke and which comprises two components 5 and 6 (Figll) that are movable lengthwise, each Ain lation tothe other. The component 5 is con- Structed in two interconnected main parts at` op-` posite ends of the machine,and the component 6 f occupies an intermediate position, The means of corporates the ram 'l `and the` component E incor-` porates the cylinder 8. The hydraulic unit is` powerful enough to perform the double function of advancing either of the components of the ve-` hicle and at the same time shearing off the coal.

In the drawings, `A indicates the floor of the mine, B indicates the roof, C indicates the face of the seam of coal to `be out and D indicates ,the newly cutface.

The component 5 has two hydraulic jacks 9 and ID, one oneach of two cuterheads II and I2 incorporated in the component `5 at opposite ends. A more powerful hydraulic jack I3 is` provided on. the component 6 in combination with the propul-` sion cylinder 8. i i

The cutter heads II and I2 are each made chiefly as a large wedge-form cutter presenting an inclined edge I4 which extends in a vertical plane from oor level to a level which may be about half the height of thecoal face. This lower cutter I4w is combined witha ramp I5 present-` ing an upwardly and outwardly inclined surface for the passage of broken-down coal to a conveyor (not shown, but.loca ted at the side of the` ma,-4

chine opposite tothe coal face C, D). The componet 6 carries two upper wedge-form` cutters.

I6 and I1 respectively, at opposite ends of long beams I8 and I9.' Each upper cutter presents an inclined edge 20 which extends in a vertical plane from roof level to or about the previously mentioned intermediate level. The beams I8, I9 are movable about the horizontal axes of pivot pins 2l on brackets 22 forming parts of the same structure as the component 6 with its propulsion cylinder 8 and jack I3. These beams I 8, I9 have top plates I8A and ISA respectively, which are slotted for passage through them of the jacks 9 and I0; see the slot I 9B in Fig. 3. The beams I8, I9 are pvotable in a vertical plane so as to bring that cuter I6 or Il which is at the front for the time being into engagement with the roof B. The cut-- ter heads also have auxiliary hydraulic jacks 23 and 24, respectively, for pressing the leading upper cutter I6 or I1 against the roof. The rams of these jacks have rollers 23A and 24A by which the upward pressure is transmitted to the beams.

The upper and lower cutters are arranged so that their edges I4 and 20 cut in the Asame vertical plane, lwhich is represented in Fig. 2 Aby the newly cut face D. This plane is behind and parallel to the original coal face C. The cutters are also made to strip off coal from the floor A and roof B. As shown, .the lower cutter heads each have horizontally edged cutting portions 25 to strip the floor, and the upper cutters each have a horizontally edged cutting portion 26 to strip the roof.

The hydraulic apparatus incorporated in Athe machine comprises the propulsion unit 1, 8 and the ve jacks 9, I0, I3, 23 and 24. These hydraulic Vdevices are all under the control of a manually oper-ated distributor valve 121, which like the remainder of `the hydraulic system vis represented symbolically in Fig. 4. The system also includes a supply tank 28 `to and from which circulates the hydraulic liquid (usually oil), a hydraulic pump 29 which draws from the tank 28 and discharges to the valve 21 through pipes 30. These parts 211 to 29 are `all provided on the component5.A The system also includes pairs of pipes extending between `the valve 21 and opposite ends of ythe cylinders of the hydraulic devices. As shown, these pipes comprise the following pairs: pipes 3| to :the propulsion unit cylinder `8, pipes 32 to the jacks 9 and Ill, pipes 33 to the -jack I3 and pipes 34 to the jacks 23, 24.

f As shown, the cutters II zand I6 are in front, the vmachine being set to work from left to right of Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

I In operation, assume that the component isffully advanced and is anchored between roof and -oor by its jacks 9 and I0. `The jack I3 of the other component 6 is retracted so that this component is free to advance. The valve 21 is manipulated so that the hydraulic propulsion unit is operated to extend, that is so as tof advance the component 6 a stroke forward, with v which the front upper cutter I6 also advances and wedges out coal from the upper half of the seam. Fig. 1 shows the machine at this stage, namely `with the component 6 fully ad vanced. Next, the valve 21 is manipulated so that the jack I3 is operated to anchor the cornponent 6, and also so 4thatthe jacks 9, I0 ot the component 5 are retracted to free it, and thereafter so that the hydraulic unit 1, 8 is operated to advance the other component 5 a stroke forward. Thus, the front lower cutter Il lis advanced to wedge off from the lower half of the seam the coal left outstanding like a ledge. In the advance of the front lower cutter, the broken down coal is displaced sidewise and upwards by the ramp I5. Thereafter, the

`may be done by means of a cutter comprising a number of cutting tools working at progressively greater depths into the coal face.

I claim: l

1. A mining machine consisting of a vehicle which is movable stroke-after-stroke and which comprises two components, interengaging longitudinal. guides on said components, by virtue of which guides each one of said components is `movable longitudinally forward relative to the other, an upper wedge-like cutter provided on one lof said components and arranged r`to wedge `out mineral from a seam betweenl thel top thereof andv an intern-radiatey leveLa llower wedge-like -cutterprovided on the other of said components and Aarranged Lto Wedge ofi the 1re-k maining mineral vfrom the seam lbetween the bottom thereof and the intermediatel level, v'jacks on the individualv components# 'for anchoringV them alternatively, a propulsion unitY interconnecting the two components,` and means controlling the operation of said-jacks andsaid unit so that each component in its Iturn is anchored by its jack while said unit loperates `the otherv component to make a stroke yforward and-per-I form vits wedge action on the seam." l

2. A mini-ng machine as claimed -by claim 1 in which the upper wedge-like cutter extends in front of the lower wedge-like` cutter so that the mineral between vthe top `of the seam and an intermediate level is wedged out before the lower mineral is wedged off.

3. A mining lmachine `asfclaimed by cla-i-m 2 in which the upper wedge-like cutter Vis carriedv by a beam extendingyfrom nlche appropriate one' of said components andi-n which a device yforces the beam upwards lto bring 4said cutter to-the top of the seam `throug-lfiout each `forward stroke of said cutter.

l WALTER.V VOGEL.

MJFERENGEs CIT-ED The ,following ,references are .of record'l' 'the le vof this Ipatent: I y

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

